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Taking to the road

Warren added: “We crawl out of the car park and prepare to turn on to the dual carriageway. By now it is too late to question why I am putting my life in the hands of a machine. To our right, several cars are waiting at a red light.

“Picking them up on its sensors, our car pauses to assess whether there is time to pull out, before we ease into the left-hand lane.

“This is Britain’s most ambitious road test to date, with the car programmed to hit 30mph – double what was allowed during the previous trial in Coventry. We accelerate and brake so gently it is easy to forget that Jim isn’t driving, until I spot his hands resting in his lap.

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What could the technology do?

Test Drive Jim says: “Once we have perfected this technology, people will be able to sleep in the driver’s seat. “The car will only need to wake them to take over if it encounters a problem, like a burst tyre.”

Warren said: “In fact, the only time Jim has to ­intervene is when the car is a little too cautious, refusing to move when it spots a roadworks sign on the pavement, a little too close to the kerb for comfort.

“It is not the only new technology on show. Jaguar Land Rover and Ford, the two lead manufacturers behind UK Autodrive, have three cars that can “talk” to each other.

“They show us how a car can tell the vehicles behind when it performs an emergency stop, to ensure those following brake in plenty of time.”

An autonomous Range Rover Sport on public roads in Milton Keynes. Picture by Tim Anderson

Communicating with ambulances

Warren said: “Most impressive of all, an ­ambulance can communicate with these prototype vehicles. When the crew switch on their blue lights, the ambulance warns the self-drive cars it is approaching.

“Drivers can even see the ambulance approaching on their satnav before it comes into view, giving them plenty of time to get out of the way.”

Paramedic Lisa Pringle says: “A lot of people panic when they hear a siren and become very unpredictable. We have to adjust our driving to manage that risk.

“If that means we are a couple of minutes late to a lifesaving call it can be disastrous, so this ­tech­­­­­nology could make a massive difference for us.”

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It’s not far off

Explaining how some of the technology being tested might not be far off being part of production cars Warren said: “This ability to communicate with other vehicles – and even traffic lights – could be included on cars in the near future, just like existing technology such as parking assist.

“The hope is not just to improve the driving experience but also to make our roads safer. As Chris Holmes, senior research manager at Jaguar Land Rover, points out, nearly 1,800 people are killed each year on British roads and up to 90% of those deaths are caused by human error.”

“But we need people to feel safe in these cars too,” says Chris. “People have to trust this technology for it to succeed.”

Warren added: “After such a polished performance during my ride, I was certainly reassured.”